The invention relates to a device for attaching a withdrawal cord in the form of a regular wound spiral to the withdrawal end of a tampon and, in particular, a tampon for female hygiene.
A device of this generic type is known from German Auslegeschrift No. 2,355,962. This device consists of a flow chamber into which a tampon with a withdrawal cord loosely hanging down is inserted and which can be closed on the insertion side. A blow mandrel with an air outlet orifice at its front end can be introduced into the flow channel. The blow mandrel is coaxially surrounded by a press ram which is displaceable to and fro in the direction of its longitudinal axis, independently of the blow mandrel. The blow mandrel is moved forward in the direction of the tampon for such a distance that its air outlet orifice almost touches the tampon. The blow air is then switched on and flows against the end of the tampon, is deflected there and is removed either through a ring channel located between the press ram and the inner wall of the flow chamber or through air-discharge channels between the press ram and the guide channel. The deflection of the air causes turbulent flow which grips the withdrawal cord and takes it along. The blow mandrel is retracted and the withdrawal cord is gripped by the press ram which winds up the withdrawal cord, approximately in the form of a spiral, and presses it against the rear end of the tampon. The end face of the press ram is roughened. This known device has the disadvantages that the power consumption for the necessary compressed air is considerable and that the mode of operation is unreliable because it cannot be guaranteed that the withdrawal cord will be wound up regularly onto the blow mandrel, and subsequently pushed off against the withdrawal end of the tampon, with the reliability and speed and control desirable for a massproduced article.